Dreams Of Nightmares Past
by Automail-gHost
Summary: (WAT AU) When the Assassin attacks, Zuko takes a hit meant for Aang. Shortly after, he collapses. As a horrible fever ravages the Firebender's body and he begins to hallucinate, they know that this is no ordinary sickness. When the poison begins to make Zuko see his worst fears and relive his tragic past do the Gaang realize..Maybe Zuko's a victim of the Fire Nation too. Zuko!Whump


**Hello there! **

**Avatar: The Last Airbender one of my favorite cartoons of all time. It is a spectacular show! No matter how many times I watch it, I always enjoy it.**

**I will try my very best to do it justice but if I fail in any way, please let me know! **

**Alrighty, so this fic will be suspenseful, angst ridden, and decently sad. Why will it be sad you ask? BECAUSE ZUKO'S PAST IS TRAGIC! It's so horrible what happened to him and at his own father's hand no less! T.T**

**No wonder it took him so long to figure out what was right and what was not. The "good guy" (his father) burned and banished him at 13. I don't know about you, but I think that would make anybody messed up.**

**As you all know, Katara is so MEAN when Zuko joins their group, she is almost cruel. She irrationally blames Zuko for everything bad that the Fire Nation has ever done and refuses to see that he is not his Father. **

**In my story, she has to face the music. It gets to the point where she clings to her hatred so hard that she begins to lose herself in it. When she realizes this, she has to reevaluate her anger towards Zuko.**

**This is not a Zutara Fic. I don't really care for that pairing and neither do the characters themselves! Anybody remember the Ember Island Players? The look on their faces tells you all you need to know. ;D**

**So yeah, canon pairings only. This also takes place from the time Zuko joins to before the Sun Warriors. **

**One last thing before my disclaimer... I have no clue what "Combustion Man's" name is, so I'm just going to call him, "Assassin" OK? So I apologize in advance if it starts to get repetitive. I just want this story to be serious with only a touch of humor so calling him "Sparky-Sparky-Boom-Man" doesn't really work for me. XD**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! If I did, the team would have learned Zuko's past, and Katara would have been yelled at repeatedly for how awful she was to him. There also would have been **_**more**_** suspense. Since none of these things happened, I think we can assume that no, I DON'T own this. I only own my original plot ideas; nothing more.**

**WARNING: Slightly graphic description of an injury at the end of this chapter! If you are squeamish, you might want to skip over it. I apologize if I upset anyone, my goal was only to be accurate and show how bad the wound is. **

**Anyway... Read on! And enjoy.**

* * *

_**Only A Scratch**_

It was a cold morning.

The sun was just beginning to shine over the horizon; beams of yellow, orange, and white, touched only the barest tops of the trees.

An echo of chill lingered over the forest, its icy fingers reluctant to relinquish its grip. But as the bright star rose, heat flooded the land, and all seemed to breath a sigh of relief. In celebration of the new day, small birds rushed to the sky; singing excitedly as they went.

Their song was cut short however, when an excruciatingly loud voice rang into the air.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!"

Within a small clearing, Zuko paced back and forth angrily. He circled his little area several more times; muttering under his breath furiously before collapsing into a tired heap on his pathetic excuse for a bed.  
Both of his hands wove themselves into his hair; and as frustration and failure fell upon him like a heavy cloak, he was overcome with a strong desire to scream again.

"They'll never trust me now. _I_ definitely wouldn't! I mean, burning her? I couldn't have messed this up any worse if I had tried!"

He sighed deeply. Only he could ruin his own destiny, Zuko thought bitterly.

A sudden crack snapped him out of his thoughts. His head jerked up; he leapt to his feet, arms extending before him in the best defensive position he could muster in his panicked state.

Paranoia became his enemy as he was bombarded with possible causes of the disturbance.

_Had his father found him? Was it Firebending troops come to take his life? Azula? _

Fear clutching at his throat, he glanced back and forth, his messy black hair falling over his eyes more than once.  
Zuko remained like that for a while, but no matter how long he waited, no soldiers sprung from the bushes, and no insane sisters shot lighting at him; he was only met with silence.

"It-it was probably a rabbit-deer or something." He said shakily before relaxing his stance somewhat.

His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. With a grimace, the banished prince painfully realized he didn't remember the last time he ate.

Deciding he had nothing better to do, and that the prospect of meat made his guts roar in anticipation, Zuko began into the forest. His attempts at being stealthy were constantly ruined by the crunching of twigs and leaves that followed his every step.

He scrutinized the ground closely as he walked; immensely thankful that during his time on the road, he had learned how to track. After a while though, his hopes started to dwindle. He was just considering turning back when he froze in shock.

There was a boot print.

And unless the animals of this forest had taken to wearing Fire Nation boots; he wasn't alone. He quickly judged by the size that it could in no way be his, or any of the Avatar's friends. It wasn't very hard to find the rest of the trail afterwards; obviously, whoever made it, was either stupid, very confidant in themselves, or just didn't care if anyone knew they were there.

He had only been following the heavy indentations in the forest floor for a little while when a nearby tree caught his attention; deep gouge marks were carved into its bark, sap still dripping lazily from the wounds. Zuko's fingers ghosted over the injury; initially he had thought it was an animal, but those ideas were soon dismissed.

They looked remotely human and something about them made his entire being cry out in recognition.

Then it dawned on him. His stomach clenched but it was not out of hunger this time. He recognized the cuts; they were made by a metal hand as its claws were being sharpened in the wood.

Fear rippled across his face as Zuko slowly looked up; dread filling him as his eyes fell on the upside down Western Air Temple.

Completely forgetting his hunger, he started to run. The trees around him blurred into a green haze as Zuko pelted through the forest faster than he thought possible.

As his feet ripped through the foliage, he swore under his breath; cursing his habit of making famously _bad_ choices. He was once more having to fight off the demons of his past mistakes.

In this instance, he had to stop the murderer he had hired to finish off the Avatar.

Aware of how dire the situation was, he knew he had no time to go the "safe" way. The Firebender made a beeline towards where he hoped he would be able to cut the Assassin off.

Not long after, he came to a giant ravine that separated the forest from the mountain side. After quickly judging his options, he realized there was only two ways across:

He could try Azula's Firebending technique that allows her to "fly". That idea left a bad taste in his mouth. For not only did he not have confidence in his ability to imitate his sister, the mere thought of copying her made him sick.

His second choice left him even more unsettled than his last. There were vines draped over the rocks in an intricate net; if he could jump far enough, he could grab one of them and climb the rest of the way up.

He bit out a growl of frustration through his gritted teeth. His options weren't all that great.

A small voice piped up in his ear, it sounded suspiciously like his Uncle and demanded that he find a safer way to the temple; insisting he look for the path the assassin took.

It was after all, a very long way down.

Zuko shook his head roughly to rid himself of all doubts. He didn't have enough time to be careful. If he tried to find another route he might be too late.

Determination crossed his features as he steeled himself for what he was gonna have to do. Before he had the chance to change his mind, he launched himself off the cliff.

His leap had gotten him pretty far, but even before he lost his momentum, he knew it wasn't going to be enough.

He was going to fall.

There was a moment of weightlessness; a horrific moment that seemed to drag on forever. He hung suspended there for a second, held up by an invisible string. His stomach dropped, and then so did he.

In a desperate bid to save himself, fire erupted from both of his flailing feet. The force of the blast sent him back into the air, but unfortunately in the wrong direction.

Unable to linger on the fact that he was still alive, he focused all his concentration upon controlling his newfound flight. He attempted to change his trajectory, but only succeeded in spinning around and around at dizzying speeds.

After finally righting himself, he hovered in the middle of the deep chasm. A giddy laugh escaped him as he reviled in the fact that he was _flying_. His momentary excitement was cut short however, when he remembered why he was up there in the first place.

Zuko angled himself towards the rocks and after taking a deep breath, shot his legs out behind him. The effect was instant. He barely had enough time to cringe before he slammed hard into the mountain-side.

Dazed from the impact, the constant stream of fire emanating from his feet fizzled out and he once again started to plummet. He lunged desperately for the first vine he could see. He gripped it like a vice as his momentum pulled him downward. He slid along it for a couple more seconds; his hands screaming in protest the entire way.

When he finally came to a halt, Zuko let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He hung there for moment, staring dumbly at the wall before him. After much effort, he was able to peel himself free of the vine his body was determined to stay attached to. As he reached for the next one, he got a good look at the bloody mess that was once his hands.

Grateful that the adrenaline still pumping through his body numbed the pain, he continued his climb; his shaking limbs making it that much more difficult.

As he ascended, he lost more and more feeling in his hands; he took that as a _bad_ sign and fought to wrap his fatigued fingers around the slippery vines faster.

Eventually his surplus of living rope came to an end; reluctantly, he peeled himself away from his nice, secure, life-line, and began scaling the sheer rock face. The hurt that came from placing all of his weight on the tips of his fingers brought feeling back to his senses; the agony now stabbing through his every nerve made him miss the numbness.

After what felt like years, his eyes fell on a ledge and a not so quiet moan of relief escaped him at the beautiful sight.

Just when he thought he had caught a break, his luck, true to form, reared its ugly head. Upon that outcropping of rock, he saw a glimpse of metal.

The Assassin was already there.

Fraught with renewed panic, he desperately swung his head back and forth, hoping beyond hope some plan would come to him.

The wall he was attached to had a sort of corner; he was on one side, and his goal was on the other.

Knowing that he was far too tired to try his little "flight" trick, he had to face the fact that there was no way he could climb up and around to the other side fast enough.

He had to choke back tears of happiness when he realized he was faced with another option.

A slight jump away from his current position was a lone vine. Without really thinking, he leapt for it. Heart thudding deafeningly in his ears, he tried his best to snake his entire body around the green rope.

Zuko glared loathingly at the stupid ledge. Why did it have to be so hard? Why did doing the _right thing_ have to be so hard?! The banished prince thought angrily.

He swallowed his frustration though; having to reason with himself that at the moment, he had to focus on more pressing matters.

Like, the fact that he was dangling hundreds of meters above a cavernous ravine, and that he had to move fast or the world's last hope could be killed.

No pressure.

Back in reality, Zuko had resigned himself to his fate; knowing full well that what he was about to do would make his gut twist painfully...Again.

After some awkward first attempts, he finally managed to plant both of his feet firmly upon the sheer cliff-side. Hesitantly, he allowed some of his weight shift from the vine and onto the soles of his feet.

His slick life-line lifted away from the rock face as he slowly stretched his shaking limbs; only too aware of what the consequences would be should he slip.

Within moments, he was supported his trusty vine, and his legs that were pressed up _hard _against the wall that was perpendicular to him.

He blinked owlishly.

Zuko probably would have hung there for a while consumed by his shock if he hadn't remembered how badly this stunt of his hurt. He trembled violently as his body fought to keep him suspended between vine, and rock.

Breathing deeply, he took several steps backwards, gulped down his feelings of impending doom, and charged.

He quickly gained speed and within the second, he reached the edge of his side of the mountain. He came to the corner, slammed his feet sharply up against it, and was catapulted by the force around the wall and strait into the assassin.

Said Firebender, had been so focused on gathering his energies into his third eye, that he was caught completely by surprise when Zuko came flying into him.

His aim ruined, he was unable to halt his attack and the concussive blast of fire missed its target completely, and only served to alert his prey of his presence.

Furious at his continuing failure, he rounded on the one who dared to interfere with him; blood-lust and hatred burning in his eyes.

Across from him, was the teenager who had started it all.

Zuko, panting heavily, had an extremely hard time making his next words sound as forceful as he had wanted.

"Stop!" He surprisingly was able to scream. "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore!"

The Firebender did nothing in response. Zuko stepped forward with more confidence than he felt, hoping he did not show any of the weakness that was threatening to overcome him.

"The mission is off! I'm ordering you to stop!"

With a sudden burst of energy, he threw himself in front of the Assassin as a human shield; his arms outstretched. He was effortlessly swatted away like an annoying fly.

Zuko was helpless to stop his next attack on the Avatar and his friends.

He was too tired to fight properly, that much was clear. He had to find some way to distract the assassin, but he was clearly ignoring him.

It didn't take long for him to remember something that he was pretty sure would bring the man's attention back to him.

"I know your weakness!" Zuko shouted tauntingly. "Do you really want to fight me?" He charged at the assassin as the final words left his mouth; fire hungrily consuming his hand as he did so.

When he got close enough he ducked down low and swung his arm upwards; much to his surprise, the Firebender didn't even try to dodge. Instead, he grabbed Zuko's flaming fist, immune to the radiating heat.

They grappled there for a brief moment; Zuko's feet brushing up against the edge as they did. Suddenly, the assassin inhaled sharply; the younger Firebender only had time to gasp before a torpedo of fire shot towards him.

Instinctually, he created a cocoon of fire around himself, but it only served to shield him from injury, not from the force of the attack. The next thing Zuko knew, he was soaring through the air impossibly fast.

Luckily for him, he had had his back to the Air Temple, so that is the direction in which he was launched.

The shock of the hit had knocked him into blissful unconsciousness for a brief moment; but he was yanked back into reality when he slammed hard into something solid.

He blinked once, twice, but only after the third time did he realize he was indeed alive and was currently in the Western Air Temple.

He glanced around dumbly for a second before he came face to face with the ones he had just risked his life for. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph all stared at him as though he had just grown wings and was claiming to be the Avatar.

Their moment of sizing each other up was abruptly cut short by yet another attack by the assassin.

As he sat there, Zuko found his limbs incredibly heavy and his mind fuzzy. He watched through hazy eyes the epic fight playing out before him.

Aang shot a tornado like torrent of air at their attacker; his intent was definitely not to kill so it did little damage to the man.

Katara then proceeded to direct an amount of water from the fountain that would put a tsunami to shame; her intent was obviously to either crush the Firebender or knock him off his ledge. Even though it did neither, Zuko found himself slightly awestruck at the power behind her attack.

He roughly shook his head for the umpteenth time that day; now was _not_ the time to appreciate her bending style! He scolded himself harshly.

Determined to help, Zuko forced his exhausted limbs to support his weight. Once steadied, he began to shoot bullets of fire at the assassin. All present looked at him with abject surprise at his assistance but he ignored them. It was taking all his focus just to breathe and bend, he could not afford to be distracted.

It was just when he had glanced about to make sure everyone else was ok, that Aang came crashing down directly to his right.

He lay sprawled upon the cold ground for a moment before wobbly sitting up. He swayed dangerously on the spot and by the far-away look in his eyes, Zuko thought it safe to assume he wasn't all there.

Sudden and complete silence pricked at his ears. He hastily spun on his heels in order to see what was wrong, only to witness a complete change in the assassin's methods.

He stood still as a statue upon his ledge; he exuded calm and danger as he shifted his hand underneath his shirt suspiciously.

Before anyone had the chance to think too deeply on his strange behavior, his fist emerged grasping something tightly.

It glinted in the sunlight.

Zuko would recognize the shine of a refined blade anywhere.

The assassin reared back, and the young Firebender knew exactly who he was aiming for. But his time was out; the knife was soaring through the air and Aang was oblivious.

"Look out!" He screamed in warning. But even before the words fully left his lips, Zuko was shoving into the Avatar and knocking him out of the way. Sharp, searing agony electrified his entire body as the blade sliced through his side.

His muffled cry of pain went unheard.

Aang had yelped in surprise when the sudden push brought him back to his senses. He shook his head in the hopes of clearing out some of the cotton that had taken up residence there. Quickly recalling what had just happened, he nimbly Airbent himself off the ground and over to where Zuko was still kneeling.

"Th-thank you," Aang never imagined he would _ever_ thank his would be enemy. "Are you ok?" He asked slowly; his voice filled with genuine concern for the Firebender.

Zuko gave him a small grateful smile. "I'm fine." He lied easily.

Completely falling for it, Aang grinned impossibly large. Zuko looked incredulously at the kid. Did he not realize the situation they were in? Fire was raining down on their heads and he was _smiling_? But then he remembered who he was dealing with and he knew Aang was doing it for his benefit. By showing his ridiculously white teeth, he was showing his gratitude.

The banished prince couldn't figure out why it felt so good.

While he continued to stare at the young Avatar, Aang caught Sokka's eye as he gestured a little too emphatically to the place where he and his sister had taken refuge with the incapacitated Toph.

Before he realized what was happening, Zuko was being dragged away. His feet barely touched the ground as the boy rushed to his friends.

Slightly taken aback by the Airbender's concern, he let himself be carried to safety.

Barely a second later, they were secure behind a thick wall as the assassin continued to fire concussive blasts everywhere.

When the Avatar abruptly released his grip, Zuko gazed upward from his position on the floor. As he slowly stood, he could feel the penetrating glares of the two Water Tribe siblings. Katara opened her mouth and was clearly about to protest his presence when a shockwave made the entire structure rumble.

"He's going to blast this whole place off the cliff-side!" Toph cried suddenly. Zuko gave the small girl a cursory glance, taking note of her reddened and blistered feet. As much as he wanted to stay focused, guilt washed over him once more in crippling waves.

Instead of trying to apologize again, he decided to pitch in the only valuable information he had.

The assassin's weakness.

"Aim for his third eye!" His voice sprouted new glares but he continued anyway. "If you hit it, he won't be able to control his bending."

Sokka leveled him a look that was dripping with suspicion; after reluctantly deeming Zuko was telling the truth, the young swordsman threw his boomerang. He had boasted about being able to triangulate their enemy's position; hopefully he wasn't exaggerating.

A thumping/spitting noise rang through the air. They all hesitantly stuck their heads around the corner just in time to witness a gigantic explosion consume the assassin.

Sokka, Katara, and Toph cheered for joy; Zuko was completely forgotten, leaving Aang looking regretfully at the spot where yet another life had been lost.

The Airbender didn't voice these feelings for he knew what his friends would say. Rather than dwell on his depressing thoughts, he decided to steel himself in preparation of solving another problem.

Zuko.

He turned and stared expectantly at the Firebender. As though he felt his gaze, Zuko looked up from the spot on the floor he had been focused on. Their eyes met.

Molten gold examined sky blue as the two tried to read the other's thoughts. This interaction drew the rest of the gang's attention; Sokka appearing thoughtful, Katara murderous, and Toph looking rather smug.

Finally, Aang broke through the thick tension; he spoke calmly, his voice thoughtful but serious.

"Why? Why did you help us?"

Zuko looked at a loss for words; his extremely tired mind trying desperately to putter back into existence and come up with something intelligent to say.

He then proceeded to throw caution to the wind.

Last time he had talked to these people, he had over thought things and he failed epically to explain himself properly.

So, deciding to take a page from his Uncle's book, he spoke the truth and nothing less.

"Because it was the right thing to do." He at last responded.

He heard Katara scoff loudly before hissing poisonously at him. "How dare you claim you even know what the right thing is? You-"

Before she could continue, Zuko's eyes lit up with determination and he did not hesitate to cut her off.

"I know I have struggled to do the right thing!" He pleaded. It came out a little louder than he had intended but the raw emotion in his voice shocked his audience into silence.

"I was deluded." He admitted, his eyes falling to the floor in shame. "I was so desperate to reclaim my honor that I lost sight of myself. I thought my father could somehow give it to me, but I now know, that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself by doing what's right."

His gaze rose and he looked earnestly at the Avatar, hoping he could somehow show him he was telling the truth.

"I have made many mistakes; at the time I had fooled myself into thinking I was doing nothing wrong, but I know better now. All I want is to play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world."

So focused were they on his words, no one noticed Zuko's subtle attempts to staunch his side's persistent bleeding.

Expertly masking his pain, his eyes parted from Aang and fell upon Toph; she was sitting comfortably on what was left of the fountain. Her head cocked to one side showing she knew he was facing her.

Zuko allowed the guilt that had been eating at him since the previous night flow over, he bowed low; his left hand strait while his right fist rested below his palm.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, it was an accident."

Katara once again made her displeasure known by growling; in complete disbelief that anyone was still listening to his "lies".

Pretending he hadn't heard, he continued strongly; determined to finish.

"Fire can be dangerous and wild," _I would know._ He thought sadly. "So as a Firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

Aang's eyes widened in shock. It felt as though every fiber of his entire being was ringing with the truth of Zuko's words. His honesty struck a chord within the Airbender and all doubt was purged from his mind.

"I think you are supposed to be my Firebending teacher."

There was a chorus of gasps behind him and Katara made a sort of choking noise. The banished prince stared at him stupidly for a moment, his brain unable to fully comprehend the Avatar's words.

"When I first tried to learn Firebending, I burned Katara. After that, I never wanted to Firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love."

Zuko's gaze softened. He did understand, and he felt humbled that Aang trusted him enough to share his fears with him.

"I'd like you to teach me."

For the first time in years, he felt genuinely happy. Not only was he glad he could fulfill his destiny, a small 13 year old boy danced around for joy in his mind; ecstatic beyond words at the thought of belonging somewhere again.

It must have shown on his face because he saw the corners of the Avatar's mouth twitch upward in an only-just-contained smile.

Before he got carried away, he said very coolly that he had to ask his friends what they thought. Zuko nodded in understanding, but his insides squirmed with fear.

First Aang asked Toph. Her answer was honest and very sarcastic. Zuko instantly knew that she would probably be the only one who wouldn't walk on eggshells around him. He liked that idea.

Next was the water tribe boy. His response was nonchalant but the Firebender could tell he was not as okay with the situation as he acted.

Finally, the Avatar looked to Katara. As she glared at him with unadulterated loathing, he felt his eyebrows furrow, his guts tie themselves into knots, and sweat race down his face.

"I'll go along with what ever you think is right." She bit out, the words tasting bitter upon her tongue.

He smiled brightly at them. This took Aang and Sokka by surprise; the small Airbender looked pleased while Sokka stared at him with an expression Zuko couldn't decipher.

"Thank you." The Firebender said with genuine gratitude.

Deeming the matter resolved, the swordsman quickly lifted Toph into his arms and carried her into the depths of the temple. Katara trailed after her brother, her eyes still refusing to leave Zuko's form as she glared venomously at him.

Aang made to leave as well, but froze when he realized his new Firebending teacher had not moved. He stared at him curiously for a moment.

It didn't take long for him to figure out Zuko's behavior. Since he had just joined their group he didn't think his presence inside would be welcome.

Acting impulsively as he had done in the battle, he took two steps, and invited their new member to follow him.

As shock rippled across his face, Aang couldn't help but frown. Was it really so surprising to be treated nicely?

He filed the information away for later use as he walked down the long corridors; Zuko trekking along obediently behind him.

They reached main hall after barely a minute. It was alight with a blazing fire in the center of the room. The flames danced and licked at the stones, hungrily searching for something else to consume.

Katara rested near the fire, a large caldron lying over the heat. Using her Waterbending, she slowly stirred the stew that boiled within.

The first thing the Firebender noticed however, was two sets of terrified eyes and one of hatred. Used to such looks he ignored them, absently wondering who they were exactly. He supposed he would be introduced later.

Seeing everyone settled by the campfire, Aang lifted off the ground and was about to fly towards his friends when something caught his attention.

For the first time, he noticed something was off about the newest addition to their group. He seemed even more pale than earlier. He almost wrote it off as his imagination until his gaze drifted downwards.

Only then, did he see that the hand Zuko had firmly clamped to his ribs, was dyed with blood.

"Zuko! Your side!" He exclaimed suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. The Avatar's eyes were as large as saucers and he stared transfixed at his bloody shirt.

"It's nothing." He mumbled swiftly. Hoping beyond hope the kid would drop it.

"No, it's not! Katara-"

Already knowing precisely what was going to be asked of her, the Waterbender was hastily trying to think of plausible reasons for why she _couldn't_ help the enemy.

It was Zuko however, who ended his request before it left his lips. "Aang. I know Katara doesn't want to help me so I won't ask. I've dealt with worse. Do you have a needle and thread? I'll also need a towel."

The Avatar's jaw dropped and his eyes filled with nothing short of horror. "You're...You're going to stitch yourself up?!"

"Yeah, I've done it before."

Aang's stomach rebelled at the thought and he turned an interesting shade of green.

Walking not that unlike a zombie, the Airbender hobbled over to where they kept their supplies. As he carried the requested items back, he was oblivious to the look of betrayal Katara was giving him. How could he help him? How could he waste _their_ supplies on _him_?!

Although she bit her tongue and swallowed her thoughts, her agitation still was expressed through her jerky fingers that made the soup slosh angrily in the pot.

Once he received his equipment, Zuko decided to quickly leave before his façade completely fell apart. He desperately hoped he could find somewhere quiet and remain there undisturbed, when he -more likely than not- collapsed from exhaustion.

Aang watched his supposedly casual departure with guilt and sadness. They had obviously made the Firebender uncomfortable, and with Katara's palpable rage, he could understand why he had left. It never occurred to him how spent the poor teen was and that he had retreated because he didn't want them to think him weak.

The Avatar sighed deeply. He hoped the current level of tension would abate after a few days, but one look at the girl he was in love with, informed him that it wasn't likely.

Meanwhile, Zuko came to rest at the temple's edge. He slowly lowered himself to the ground; his muscles screaming as he did so.

When he was finally able to relax against the cool stone, he let out a moan of relief. Although his entire being pulsed with an agonizing ache, he was grateful to be able to rest.

As nice as sitting down was, the movement required jarred his side and he moaned once more, but this time out of misery.

His already dark clothes were stained black all down his ribs. After much hesitation, Zuko gingerly lifted away his shirt; his face twisted into a grimace as the wet fabric tugged at the torn skin.

He had been hoping it was not as bad as it felt; but when the sunlight brought the laceration into sharp relief, his hopes were crushed.

Crimson blood dripped sluggishly down his side; leaving a gory trail in its wake. The grisly sight made him feel a little light headed; although he knew he couldn't just leave it like that, a very childish part of his brain insisted that he shouldn't mess with it.

Gulping down his unease, he grabbed the towel that he had carelessly discarded beside him. His fingers had just wrapped around it when he hissed sharply and jerked away; recoiling from the rag as though it had burned him.

He glared at the offending thing.

Zuko made to seize it again only to be stopped once he caught sight of his blood soaked hands.

At first he had thought the copious amounts of red had come from his injury, but he was sorely mistaken.

He stared at them with morbid curiosity.

Almost all of his nails were either cracked, or broken, and his palms were torn, and blistered. They were practically vibrating with a pain he hadn't noticed before then.

The Firebender found that really disconcerting.

Without thinking, he suddenly grasped the fluffy towel. As his fingers found purchase on the soft material, new waves of misery shredded into him. He gritted his teeth at the hurt and then proceeded to ignore it. He figured after he started stitching, he wouldn't even _feel _his hands.

A humorless laugh escaped him and as gently as he could, he began to dab at the wound.

He bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out; while bolts anguish electrified his every cell, he continued to stubbornly clean the gash.

After an eternity, Zuko was able to stop the bleeding and get a clear view of his damaged side.

It was indeed as bad as he had guessed. With disgust and not a small amount of alarm he realized he could see a bit of white peeking through his skin.

The knife had quite easily slashed down to his rib.

Bile crawled up his throat threateningly at the gruesome thought.

It only took a moment to regain his composure however. He schooled his features and relaxed his body. Freaking out at this point would do more harm than good.

Numbing his mind to what he was about to do, he expertly thread the small needle, took a deep breath, and began to sew.

He wanted to scream.

At first it had been only a light pain, but as the needle slipped back and forth between his skin and pulled his wound back together, he felt just about ready to pass out. He unconsciously clamped his teeth down harder upon his lip and his mouth filled with the sickening taste of iron.

White pulsed at the fringes of his vision while colors exploded before his eyes.

He stilled his shaking fingers and was able to reel in his rebellious mind; harshly reminding himself that he has gone through _far_ worse than this.

This was a spider-ant bite compared to what happened to him 3 years ago.

For the first time in years, he allowed himself to dwell on his awful memories. Most of the time, he avoided them like the plague and blocked them out the best he could, but at the moment, they served as a valuable distraction.

_I guess they are useful._ Zuko thought coldly.

When he finally was able to pry himself away from his inner monsters, he realized he had finished his agonizing task a while ago. Neat, even stitches stared up at him; the dark thread standing out against his pale skin.

He lightly ran his aching fingers over his accomplishment; Zuko hummed quietly to himself as he did so, pleased with his work. Dizzy with pain and fully aware his was in shock, he briefly considered going back inside. Just as he had begun to brainstorm on how he was going to manage it, he was struck by an overwhelming desire to sleep.

Without thinking, he slumped backwards onto the rough ground. His eyelids were incredibly heavy and the stone began to feel unnaturally comfortable. Deciding he would just rest for a second, he let the heavy curtain of sleep descend over him and Zuko fell into peaceful oblivion.

Happily content with the knowledge that he would be fine; after all, it was only a scratch.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUN! **

**So? What did you think? I tried to make it fast paced while still keeping it detailed and descriptive. **

**Did you like my version of how Zuko got up to the Assassin? Because they never tell us how he gets from the forest to the little vine he swings around the corner on. ;D**

**Anyway, as you saw, I used a few lines from the episode but most I came up with on my own. If you have seen the episode, you know what dialogue is mine and which is not. If you haven't seen the episode... Well, I'll bet you're pretty confused! XD**

**PM me if you have any questions or suggestions about my story. But more importantly, REVIEW! **

**That is, if you want to see an update any time soon. I will not abandon it if I don't get reviews but the speed of my writing is dependent upon them. They seriously inspire me and if you take the time to write just two words, I will be SO grateful!**

**Back to the story; I'm sorry if the fight scene wasn't that good. I always struggle with writing them. XP**

**I don't know if I can promise all of the chapters will be this long, this one was 13 pages only because I needed to cover quite a bit in the beginning. :)**

**I apologize if you find any words repetitive. I wrote this when I was very tired and I have a tendency to not notice when I repeat words too often. I can edit it pretty well, but I'm not perfect and things escape my notice... v.v**

**My point is, let me know if you are bothered by anything. Rather than just saying 'this chick has way too many errors in her story' and stop reading, tell me what you saw wrong with it! That way I get the opportunity to fix my mistakes and make it better for you. C:**

**Things get suspenseful next chapter, after all, poor Zuko is NOT fine! Although he's pretty sure he is. About half-way through chappie 2 the main plot begins; this was just a warm up. X3**

**I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for more! **

**See y'all next time! **

**-Automail-gHost :D**


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